Deeper- Pursuing the Call of our Church: week five

The series frames five core values and zooms in on what it means to be authentically known. The church should become a community where people get seen and understood, not a place that mistakes surface openness for real honesty. Authentic knowing begins with God’s confrontation of the hidden places of life, moves through personal self-awareness, and finds its fullest expression when people disclose those places to one another. Biblical portraits—Hagar in the wilderness and the woman at the well—illustrate God meeting people in their shame, naming their stories, and turning exposure into worship and witness.

False authenticity appears in two common masks: the polished vulnerability that reveals only safe flaws, and the abrasive “truth-teller” who uses honesty to avoid intimacy. Both protect the heart and preserve isolation. The opposite of authentic knowing is not mere privacy but loneliness; the real risk of hiding is carrying wounds alone until they calcify into bitterness or scandal. Openness in community prevents small, hidden failures from growing into destructive patterns by making character rather than performance the priority.

New Testament practice anchors this value. Confessing sins to one another and praying for one another brings healing because Christ often speaks through fellow believers. The voice of a caring brother or sister can break self-deception and unleash repentance more effectively than solitary resolve. Authentic community won’t promise perfect safety—hurt remains possible—but it will cultivate disciplined, grace-filled relationships where truth is not weaponized and honesty pairs with mercy.

Practical steps aim to move the congregation from theory to habit: introduce oneself, name one real struggle, and allow another to answer with the assurance of forgiveness rooted in Christ. Small, repeated acts of mutual confession and kindness build structures where shame loses its power and people trade isolation for shared healing. The mission calls the church to become a people who see one another as God sees and who make truth and gentleness the engine for spiritual growth.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Being seen heals hidden shame Allowing God and trusted people to name the worst parts of a life removes shame’s secret power and creates space for worship and true identity. Public exposure without compassion wounds; exposure met with steadiness and grace restructures memory and fosters spiritual formation. This is not an emotional quick fix but a path of repeated honesty that reshapes narrative and frees vocation. [12:26]
• 2. Confession creates communal healing Confessing sin to other believers invites the body of Christ to become an instrument of grace and repentance, because others can echo God’s forgiveness more deeply than self-talk. Mutual confession turns private struggle into a shared pilgrimage where prayer and accountability join to restore patterns of life. The apostolic witness expects healing to emerge within relationships, not only in isolation. [19:56]
• 3. Authenticity resists cheap performances Surface-level “authenticity” or abrasive bluntness both shield the heart and stunt growth; true authenticity names motives, wounds, and defenses rather than showcasing curated flaws. Honest vulnerability requires courage to show dependency and to risk being misunderstood; it trades image control for real formation. A culture that prizes character over applause disarms the long trajectory toward scandal and loneliness. [03:49]
• 4. Practice confession in community Simple disciplines—introducing oneself, naming a current struggle, and receiving a spoken assurance of forgiveness—train the heart to live unhidden amid others. Repeated practice translates theological truth into relational habits that remake churches into safe arenas for repentance and growth. The goal is not exposure for exposure’s sake but ongoing mutual care that channels Christ’s voice through fellow believers. [29:40]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:21] - Opening prayer and call
• [00:59] - Series overview: five values
• [02:39] - Defining “authentically known”
• [07:33] - Scripture reading: Genesis 16
• [12:26] - Hagar: God sees in the wilderness
• [15:24] - Woman at the well: exposure to witness
• [19:56] - Confession and communal healing (James)
• [29:40] - Practical exercise: confess to a stranger
• [33:12] - Announcements and Lenten rhythm
• [37:14] - Blessing and closing prayer

Bible reading
*James 5:16 (ESV)*
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

*John 4:16-18 (ESV)*
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

*Genesis 16:13 (ESV)*
So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

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Observation questions

1. In Genesis 16:13, what name does Hagar give God after He meets her in the wilderness, and what does that name mean?
2. What specific instruction does James 5:16 give about how we should respond to one another’s confession?
3. How does Jesus approach the woman at the well in John 4 regarding her past and current relationships? [15:24]
4. According to the sermon, what are the two common masks of false authenticity that people often wear? [03:49]

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Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think Hagar’s encounter with God in a place of desolation and shame led her to respond in worship (Genesis 16:13)?
2. James 5:16 links confession and prayer with healing. Why might healing require the involvement of other people and not just remain private? [19:56]
3. Jesus named the woman’s story without shaming her. How does truth spoken in kindness create space for transformation rather than condemnation? [17:39]
4. The sermon suggests that isolation is the opposite of being authentically known, not privacy. What’s the difference between choosing healthy privacy and living in isolation? [06:20]

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Application questions

1. What’s one area of your life where you’ve been tempted to hide from God or others because of shame or fear? How might you take a step toward letting yourself be seen this week?
2. Is there a struggle you’ve been carrying alone that, if shared with a trusted believer, could allow Christ’s voice to speak healing through them? [21:02]
3. How can you move beyond surface-level vulnerability (“I work too hard”) toward naming real motives or wounds (“I need to prove I’m worthy”)? [03:49]
4. This week, who is one person you can intentionally ask a real question—beyond “How are you?”—and create space for them to be honestly known? [18:40]
5. What would it look like to respond with “You are forgiven” or “Christ receives you” when someone shares a struggle with you? [30:08]
6. Are there ways you use honesty as a weapon or a shield instead of a bridge to intimacy? How can you pair truth with mercy in your relationships? [25:21]
7. What small, repeated habit—like naming a current struggle in a safe setting—could help you practice living unhidden within your community? [29:40]